Latest news with #cryptoBros
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bitcoin investor moves $8 billion worth of crypto after 14 years, originally bought for less than $210,000 — 80,000 BTC transferred from dormant Satoshi-era wallet
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. An ancient beast has suddenly risen from its slumber after lying dormant for 14 years. In the realm of crypto, such a beast is known as a whale—an early adopter of the blockchain holding massive amounts of currency. Whales are often closely monitored by the community due to their foresight; therefore, even the slightest activity can be read as a signal based on which the markets can shift. One of these whales, currently speculated to be Roger Ver, has moved 80,000 Bitcoin over the past 24 hours. That's more than $8.6 billion in regular people's money, made from an initial investment of less than $210,000 back in 2011. Doing the math, this mystery whale has achieved a hypothetical return of nearly 4 million percent over its initial purchase, or approximately 40,000 times the original amount. All of these Bitcoins are from the highly revered Satoshi era, the infancy period between 2009 and 2011, when the cryptocurrency was first introduced. Wallets from this time are from true believers of Bitcoin, people who invested in the radical idea of a decentralized financial system when a single coin wasn't even worth $1. So, you can imagine the delight on crypto bros' faces when someone decided to move a record-breaking amount of Bitcoin yesterday. The previous record for the largest single transaction in Bitcoin history was a mere 3,700 BTC, and a whopping 10,000 BTC has now surpassed it, moving at once. There was a total of eight wallets involved in this transaction, each containing the aforementioned 10K Bitcoin, and they're all owned by the same person, according to leading crypto analyst Arkham. The tide started around early Friday, when two wallets that had been inactive for 14 years suddenly transferred 10,000 BTC each to new addresses. These original wallets date back to April 3, 2011, when they initially received a large amount of Bitcoin. At the time, one Bitcoin was worth just 78 cents, so 10,000 BTC would be valued at $7,800. That chalks up to a nearly 14 million percent increase. Eight hours later, six more wallets from the same era—each containing 10,000 BTC—moved their holdings without any prior test transactions. These are from May 4, 2011, when Bitcoin had risen to $3.25. In total, these eight wallets make up 80,000 Bitcoin, the entire stash believed to have been held by the mysterious whale. Bitcoin is currently trading at $108,000, slightly down from its historic high of $110,000, which it had reached shortly before the transfers occurred. Interestingly, during our research, we came across a 2023 Reddit post that discussed six Bitcoin wallets, each holding 10,000 BTC, and speculated on their ownership. The curious OP floated names like the Winklevoss twins and even jokingly suggested this might be "Satoshi's inheritance to his children." These six wallets, dating back to May 4, 2011, are the very same ones involved in the historic transaction, which moved their Bitcoin just hours after the earlier set of wallets from April 2, 2011, made their move. Forget our mystery whale, Reddit user RealVoldermort was the one who saw the storm coming before it ever even brewed. The Mysterious 6 Wallets Holding 10k BTC each from r/CryptoCurrency Of course, no one knows where these Bitcoins went. Was it a sale? Was it inheritance, simply moving from a deceased investor to their heir? Perhaps, it was Roger Ver—one of the earliest investors of Bitcoin, who championed the currency around its creation more than a decade ago. At least, that's what @SaniExp on Twitter claims with "99%" assurance. Constituents around the world have interesting theories as to why such a transaction occurred on a random Friday without any prior indications. Believing that Roger Ver is our leading man, some speculate that he executed the "sale" as part of a potential plea deal with the U.S. government. Ver, currently residing in Spain, is wanted in the United States on tax fraud charges and, earlier this year, appealed to President Trump for a pardon to avoid extradition. Regardless of who is revealed to be the whale swimming in the ocean, it's safe to say that it has shaken the world of crypto and finance as a whole. The new wallets, now containing over $8 billion of Bitcoin, have had no further movements since, and the true identity of our new owner remains unknown. We will update the story with more details if anything valuable surfaces. Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Moment wealthy 'crypto bros' are dragged out of their stunning NYC mansion for kidnapping and torturing their business partner for WEEKS
A gang of wealthy 'crypto bros' have been arrested for luring their former business partner to a stunning New York City mansion before torturing him for weeks. The group are accused of kidnapping the 28-year-old Italian man before committing sickening acts on him in the $75,000-per-month rented brownstone in Soho. They are alleged to have Tazed him, pistol-whipped him and threatened to carve him up with a chainsaw if he did not give up the millions of dollars in his crypto account. But their plot was foiled when the victim - who has not been named - escaped and flagged down traffic to save him and call the police. On Friday morning cops swooped on the mansion and dragged out at least one of the suspects, who was draped in a white bath robe. The victim said the nightmare began on May 6 when he arrived in Manhattan from Italy after being lured by the false promises of an business opportunity. Instead, he claimed the group confiscated his passport and turned the luxurious apartment into a house of horrors for weeks. The 'crypto bros' are accused of binding him with electrical cords and other forms of shock torture - including using a Taser while his feet were submerged in water. The men were also alleged to have pistol-whipped him and threatened to sever off his limbs with an electric chainsaw. Police said the men took Polaroid photographs of themselves torturing him - one showing him bound to a chair with a gun pressed to his head. The photos, authorities believe, were likely intended to extort money from either the victim or his family back in Italy. The men also reportedly forced him into taking drugs - including cocaine - and imposed mental torment upon him, repeatedly insisting he would never escape. They were said to have attached an AirTag around his neck to monitor his movements inside the building. It was not until Friday the 28-year-old saw his chance to escape, after the men allegedly told him that day would be his 'death day'. When police arrived at the scene, they discovered a man, dressed in a bathrobe, in an upstairs bathroom. Also inside the home, police found broken glass, helmets, night vision goggles and a bullet proof vest strewn across the apartment. Authorities also discovered a firearm, prompting them to request a search warrant for a more thorough investigation of the property. The bathrobe-wearing 'crypto bro' was arrested, and is currently being held with charges pending. Police described him to be the renter of the home. Witness Jennifer Crawford said: 'I saw the SWAT team with shields and then shortly after that, I saw a guy in handcuffs come out. She added: 'This guy comes out in a white bathrobe and cuffed behind his back get into a police car.' Detectives are now interviewing two butlers who worked for the men and were present in the home at the time of the alleged crypto kidnapping. The home - an eight-bedroom, 10-bathroom residence tucked back from the sidewalk on a bustling Soho block - was most recently rented a few months ago for $75,000. The investigation remains ongoing, while a search is now underway for several other occupants of the home still at large.
CNN
23-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Inside the room at Trump's meme coin dinner
More than 200 wealthy crypto bros gathered for a private event at President Donald Trump's golf club just outside Washington, DC, on Thursday night — dining on filet mignon and halibut while the president stood at a podium regaling them with tales of his 2024 victory. The black-tie dinner was a special reward for the top 220 holders of the president's personal $TRUMP meme coin, with those in the room having contributed millions in investment in his crypto token. The 25 biggest investors got an even more exclusive privilege — access to a small VIP reception with the president. Media reports estimate the purchases and associated fees of the coin have generated an estimated hundreds of millions in fees for its issuer. Guests were required to complete a background check to attend the evening's festivities, according to a copy of the invitation viewed by CNN. The invite told them not to arrive before 5:30 p.m., with the dinner starting at 7 p.m. Many of the attendees watched as Marine One touched down on his golf course at his Sterling, Virginia club — then were greeted personally by the president. Donning a blue suit and his famous red tie, he told the cheering crowd: 'Hello, what a nice place. Did you get to see the helicopter?' according to videos shared by attendees on social media. 'How do you like this location?' The dinner, which was billed by the White House as an event Trump was attending in his personal capacity, caused a flurry of concern back in Washington, with critics' chief concern being that it presented foreigners with the opportunity to purchase access to the president. The Constitution bans a president from receiving foreign gifts without Congressional consent. Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut characterized the dinner as an 'unprecedented pay-to-play scheme to provide access to the presidency to the highest bidder.' Sen. Chris Murphy, also a Connecticut Democrat, called it 'scam' and 'the most brazenly corrupt thing a President has ever done.' Even Republican crypto advocate Sen. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming said the event gives her 'pause.' White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt pushed back heavily on those claims during a press briefing hours before the dinner, telling reporters it was 'absurd for anyone to insinuate that this president is profiting off of the presidency.' Justin Sun, a Chinese-born crypto mogul who, until recently, was facing civil fraud charges in the United States, was not only among those in attendance — but was lauded as the top holder of Trump's meme coin. His last name sat atop a poster displayed at the dinner naming the 'Top 220 $TRUMP dinner winners,' showing he had made the biggest investment, according to videos of the event viewed by CNN. According to a video posted by Sun to Instagram, his event amounted to $1,319,904.266 in 'time weighted $TRUMP holdings.' Sun also posted a video declaring he was awarded a 'Trump Golden Tourbillion' watch. Christoph Heuermann, who declares himself the 'Youngest German in all countries of the world' on his Instagram page, was also in attendance. He shared a series of photos from the event, including a snapshot of the poster where his name was listed among the top 220 holders of Trump's crypto token. 'I got to see some very rich crypto billionaires,' Heuermann wrote in one such Instagram post. 'But the majority of the crowd were young professionals from the crypto space hailing mostly from Europe. A fair share of Chinese and a few Americans, but a great diversity of most European countries. People working mostly for crypto exchanges, funds, market makers or just trading themselves. Very nice networking.' Heuermann claimed Trump gave a 20-minute speech 'and didn't interact with the crowd other than enjoying being celebrated,' according to his post. 'Even VIP token holders (I know some) couldn't speak or even shake hands with the president. It was still well worth it to experience the president live and watch his mightily secured arrival and departure.' Other attendees included Brendan McCafferty, a self-described media executive who was on the VIP invitation list, and Nick Pinto, a marketing director at his family's law firm in New Jersey. Pinto told CNBC that he spent half a million dollars on the $TRUMP meme token in order to attend the dinner. Despite many of the guests publicly sharing about their attendance online, a key question moving forward is whether the White House will share a comprehensive list of who was present for the event. Because crypto is anonymous by design, the identities of the top investors aren't easy to pin down. When CNN asked the White House whether a gala guest list would be released, a spokesperson replied with a statement saying: 'President Trump only acts in the best interests of the American public — which is why they overwhelmingly re-elected him to this office, despite years of lies and false accusations against him and his businesses from the fake news media.' Standing at a podium before the crowd, Trump recounted his 2024 presidential victory over former President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. 'I can just say that we are believers, and the whole administration, we're big believers,' Trump said, according to a video clip of the speech shared on social media by Heuermann. 'The other administration, I don't know if they became a believer or not, but I would say that if they could have ever of won, which I never felt, I couldn't believe it, can you imagine? Can you imagine losing, to Joe? Now it was switched to Kamala?' Trump said. 'I'm the only one who had to beat two people.' The clip shared by Heuermann showed Trump going on to attack Harris and her handling of the southern border. Then the president proudly claimed: 'But we have the strongest border ever. You know we took a border that was like an open sieve and we made it strong.' Boris Epshteyn, a senior adviser to the president and member of his legal team who often travels with Trump to his various clubs, was spotted off to the side as he spoke. While Trump delivered remarks, guests enjoyed a meal from a menu titled 'Donald J Trump $TRUMP Gala Dinner.' The first course featured a 'Trump Organic Field Green Salad,' with the second including filet mignon finished with a demi glaze sauce or pan seared halibut finished with citrus reduction sauce, both served with garlic mashed potatoes and a vegetable medley, according to copies of the menu viewed by CNN. For dessert, guests enjoyed a warm lava cake, 'with valrhona chocolate, crispy chocolate pearls and a caramel sauce.' Beside the tables, guests posed next to sign of Trump holding up his fist with words 'Fight, Fight, Fight' printed over him. The sign, which was displayed in a printed golden frame, included a link to a site where the public can purchase more $TRUMP coins:
